Removing a Sears Antitheft Device
I’ve been running short on dress pants, so Sunday I stopped at Sears to take advantage of their Memorial Day sale and upgrade my wardrobe. I bought about a dozen assorted items, and when I left the store the door scanners started beeping. The security guard and I both looked through my bag, but didn’t find anything. However when I got home I found this:
Seems the clerk forgot to remove a security tag from one of the pairs of pants. Anyone know how to get this off of the pants without tearing them or going back to the store?
As a side note, if Sears can’t even remove clunky tags like this one from clothing before it goes out the store, one really has to doubt the claims that less obvious RFID tags will be reliably disabled at the point of purchase.
May 29th, 2007 at 1:27 PM
I used brute force once, using a screwdriver to pry the parts apart. There is simply a metal pin holding the parts together, so if you don’t apply sideways (tearing) force, the pants will not be damaged.
May 29th, 2007 at 6:52 PM
You can normally put them in the freezer overnight to make the ink capsules less of a problem, then pull them apart with two pairs of pliers. If you have a dremel tool you can shave the top off the “bump” to do some exploratory surgery. The things you learn working retail when the tag remover breaks and you still have to sell….
They’re one of those things that don’t actually provide any security, since the staff in stores never pay any attention to the beeping they cause. They’re just there to annoy the people who bought things legitimately and can’t remove the tags when they get home. My favorite is when I set off the sensors going _in_ to stores with items I bought somewhere else :\
RFID tags will never be a security measure. They’re going to save (make) the stores money by improving inventory management, and that’s it. I’d be completely surprised if stores ever have the equipment to disable the tags.
May 30th, 2007 at 6:19 AM
It’s sort of -hip- or “In” to wear those now. Be proud that you stole it.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:05 AM
All the RFID privacy fears … now I know that Rusty doesn’t like ironing easy care, likes pleats and wears pants - size 40×30 - loose some weight man :-0
June 11th, 2007 at 2:50 PM
In other privacy news: now we also know Gaurav doesn’t know the difference between “loose” and “lose”.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. — Lincoln
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:38 PM
On the other side it should be round. Take a lighter and burn it so it is soft and melts. Becareful. There is a Pin if should release if not get something to release it. When it is released the two sides will open freeing the clothes.
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:30 PM
none of the above comments are helpful at all maybe the one from jj but theres more to it first off theres no ink in that security tag so dont worry about that if you get a screw driver and bend it with a hammer so that its curved and stick it in the little hole in the side of the security tag it will just pop open and the other way if you dont want to ruin a screw driver burn the very top of the big end and and you can see all the parts and just move everything its pretty selfexplanitory when you get that far if all else fails turn it sideways and hit it with a hammer
April 24th, 2008 at 11:49 PM
the answere is there http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/23/lazyweb-request-remo.html
April 26th, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Ya lo hice
Solo neceitas doblar hacia el lado correcto la parte plastica que muestras en la foto.
Utiliza dos pinzas para sostener y doblar un candado interno y el Pin sale libremente.
May 24th, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Thanks Sean you’re a life saver. I bought a shirt from Zumies today and i guess they forgot to remove the antitheft device.the screw driver hammer trick worked like a charm
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:18 PM
Materials needed:
- Pliers
- Patience (A lot of twisting of the plastic and lifting metal will be needed)
Optional:
- A knife
1.) Take the knife if you have one, and start to slice down the middle of the plastic shape from the side. Cut about half an inch in.
2.) Use the pliers and twist sideways violently. Please have patience as constant violent tearing while rip the material of the clothing. Keep twisting until the plastic piece is torn in half. Keep the piece with the bumpy handle-like hill. Throw the other piece (flat) away.
3.) Now use your pliers and stick one blade (?) into the hollow part and one on the outside so your pliers are clamped down shut on the outer layer of plastic. Now with the same technique, twist it and rip it open into 2 pieces: the outer case and the base with a metal sheet clamped shut on a needle that holds onto your clothes. Throw away the outer case.
4.) Holding your fingers carefully along the edge of the smooth side (not ripped by the pliers/the other side of the needle) and try to lift the hard, unbendable metal sheet. Here you need extreme patience as it took me nearly 5 minutes to rip it off. (Note that here, you can also first twist off the needle before you set to work on lifting the metal sheet holding it to make sure you don’t stab yourself in the process.
5.) Now finally, after you’ve ripped it from the stem of the needle, remove the metal piece and reach into the other side of the clothing and carefully remove the needle by pulling and sliding the plastic cap away from the inside of the clothing. From here on is pretty self explanatory. And there you have it! It’s done.
Hints as you go along:
- NEVER jerk and twist the clothing throught the needle; it will harm or even rip the clothing’s material.
- Remember to be careful with using the knife; this means cutting away from you, not towards you.
-Also for your safety, rip the needle off before you go onto removing the metal piece inside as this will prevent you from being scratched. But do remember to throw the needle head away ASAP.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:26 PM
I knew this because I had bought a pair of jammers (swimming clothing) from Sportschek and it started to beep after going to the checkout. I got home and found the device and took 3 tools to the my warehouse:
-A screwdriver which did nothing.
-The pliers
- And the exacto-knife.
I just ended up with like 5 pieces of scrap p[lastic and metal. Threw it all away.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:27 PM
woops, mind the typos and grammar mistakes.!
August 11th, 2008 at 9:26 PM
What I did was use brute force… I used a Sharp Knife, an Ex-acto blade, & a Flathead Screwdriver. I used the knife and the blade to cut through the opening at the end closest to the pin (if there isn’t one on yours make one). As soon as I could fit the screwdriver in the freshly cut opening I jammed it in there and twisted it violently until the plastic bend or broke off (repeat until you finally get the pin off..). I basically took the whole thing apart piece by piece. This same thing wouldn’t apply with ink tags.. Jamming something into one of those could set off the ink and your clothes would be trashed. Anywho inside the one I dismantled there were tiny metal-looking strips possibly used to set off the alarm at the front door of the Dept. store. Other then that there isn’t anything else special in there other then plastic and a little more metal.